After a very successful weekend filled with record-breaking runs and Centennial Conference bests at the Penn State and Thomson Invitational meets, the Hopkins men’s track team carried the momentum into the Seamus McElligot Invitational. The squad continued to set personal bests in team and individual events despite facing the stiff competition of Haverford. Highlights included exceptional performances in the long jump, triple jump, and high jump.
The Invitational ended with a series of strong individual efforts from the Jays as Monagle finished first in the mile run while posting a personal and career best time of 5:01.93. There were numerous other Hopkins runners who received accolades in the Seamus Invitational. Freshman Imoni McCorvey placed second in the triple jump with a distance of 34 feet, 10.25 inches, senior Emily Kashka placed second in the pole vaulting competition with a vault of 10 feet, and Parsons ran the 200 meter race in an astonishing time of 26.97 to claim second place. Gaining momentum from a multitude of broken records, the women's team is gearing up for arguably the toughest part of their schedule. The Lady Jays continue their season next weekend in the Sweetheart Meet on Friday in Annapolis, MD and in the Valentine Invitational in Boston, MA.
The men’s track team also travelled to Haverford, PA to compete in the Seamus McEliggot Invitational on Saturday, posting some impressive finishes of their own. The highlight of the day for the Jays was when junior Alex Webb succeeded in winning both the long and triple jump competitions. His long jump was exceptional as he defeated the runner up competitor by over four inches, posting a personal and season best jump of 21 feet and 8 inches. To add on to an already spectacular performance, he topped the competition in the triple jump as well, sealing the victory for Hopkins with a distance of 44 feet and 5.25 inches. Fellow teammate Michael Spadaro also finished strong with a third place finish, reaching 41 feet and 5.25 inches.
However, the men were not satisfied with their overall performances throughout the day. “We faced really tough conference competition on a slow track, after getting worked hard in practice all week long,” freshman Billy Scola said. “Times weren’t that great for most people, but it was good to face our rivals.” The Jays did end up claiming numerous second place finishes in the 4x200 and 4x400 relay races as well as in the high jump as freshman Joseph Paik nearly missed first place. Freshman Colin O’Connor came in third in the 400 meter race while Jebb secured third in the 60 meter hurdles. Senior Rob Martin finished strong in the 200 meter race and also took a third place finish. “While most weren’t happy with their performances, it was great to faceoff against Haverford,” Scola said. “With less than a month until the Conference Championship, it was good to face some tough competition and to get a sense of how much work we have left to do if we want to have a chance at winning.”
The men have been consistent throughout the Invitational tournaments, with a few bright spots primarily in the field events. The Jays will look to get back on track as they travel to Boston next weekend to compete in the Valentine Invitational along with the women’s track team.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The News-Letter.